Samenvatting

Physical inactivity is a significant public health problem along with being one of the biggest risk factors for chronic disease. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading chronic conditions causing increased mortality rates due to decreased PA levels.
Bauman et al. described an adapted ecological model in correlation to specific behaviour-physical activity. It proposes different levels through which participation of physical activity can be influenced. The focus of this research is on the interpersonal level and its social relationships, such as, guidance, encouragement or support which influences individuals, who are at risk for CVD, participation in PA.
It is essential to understand the factors of social influences because it could diminish future epidemics of CVD risk population. However, social influences have been studied only with a focus on the specific social influence which could cause possible conflicting study findings.
Therefore, the following research question has been formulated: What are the effects of social influences (at interpersonal level) on (regular) physical activity in people who are at risk for cardiovascular disease?